Thursday, January 1, 2015

Miles: 2,979.1 (3,070.2 in 2013)Days Run: 315Races: 15Injuries: 2Countries Run In: 2States Run In: 8PRs: 0Best Race: USATF Club Cross Country NationalsWorst Race: Rock n' Roll Philly HalfBest Memory: Running the Boston Marathon with no goal but to have fun and having more fun than I could have ever imagined.Worst Memory: Getting shoved at the beginning of a 5K in the Bronx and riding the subway home a bloody mess.Goals for 2015: PR at Rutgers Half Marathon and Vermont City Marathon. Master the baby jogger.

This morning, I put away my razor, tossed out my shaving
cream and took my electric shaver off the charger. I won’t need them until the
summer.

Today begins what I am dubbing “Beard to Baby”. I am vowing not
to shave until our first child is born on or around June 28, 2015. I’m starting
with a clean slate. Just last night, before heading out for New Year’s revelry
(specifically, a lovely dinner and a beer with friends), I shaved the
carefully-groomed, perma-stubble that Gawker once referred to as the markof a low moral character. Today is the first
day my face has been completely clean-shaven in a year-and-a-half. Sadly, I was
not carded for buying beer this morning. So that theory is out the window. I
guess I’m just old now.

Why am I doing this? I like to contribute. Physically, there
is very little I can contribute to pregnancy at this stage of the game. Sure, I can pick up the slack
around the house, be extra attentive to Lauren’s needs, go out of my way to
make sure she is comfortable, etc. and of course, I plan to do all those
things. But, the reality is while she is dealing with nausea, exhaustion and
bloating, quite frankly, I feel fantastic. That doesn't seem fair. Obviously, a
scratchy beard does not even come close to carrying a child. I’m not trying to
pretend it does. However, it will leave me somewhat uncomfortable over the next
six months thus allowing for at least minimal commiseration in the Holder
household.

The last beard. Speaking to students at SUNY Oswego. In the academic world, beard = wisdom,

The bearded among you will say, “having a beard is awesome!” Not for me. I
attempted “Beards to Boston” last year and hated every second of it. When I got
injured and couldn't resume training, shaving that stringy, red hair off my
face was the only upside to dropping the dream. This time around I’ll again be training for a marathon (Vermont City on May 24th) but the beard doesn't go away
after the race.

I’m not a beard guy. So,
if you’re a hipster, lumbersexual, truck driver, wizard or any other veteran
wearer of facial hair, I’d appreciate any beard tips. As you can see, I have a
long way to go…